Fight club is claimed to be a Gothic Story. I think that it does have several of the elements essential for a gothic novel, but it is also missing a few (at least in the movie). There is definitely the old gothic castle represented in Tyler's house. Is is old, falling apart, and there are odd problems that occur in it that can seem "supernatural". There is also the element of the grotesque. This is without a doubt. It is not a fantasy, but that actions and the imagery could easily fall within this category.
Unfortunately, there is no heroine. Marla is a prominent female character, but she is not a heroine in distress. She meets the narrator in these support groups, but is not in need of rescue from the narrator; Marla simply interacts with the narrator to give us clues about his condition that is revealed at the end. There is also no real moral closure. We do come to an understanding at the end of the novel/ movie, but it does not really teach us anything. There is no moral lesson learned from viewing the movie.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Yellow wallpaper, A jury of her Peers
For the last week of reading, it was fairly straightforward. Both of these stories had a strong element of female literature. The yellow wallpaper was the most obvious expression of this. She was confined in her room by her husband, and was concerned for her physical health. After some time, he beings to notice her declining mental health. He puts her on the notorious "Rest Cure" that basically confines her to a room without anything in it in an attempt to cure her mind. She slowly starts to loose her mind as shown by the mysterious images and objects that "appear" in the wallpaper. They continually get worse and worse just as a woman is supposed to feel when confined by men. This is an obvious punch at the idea that men are superior to women, and gives a little suggestion towards equality among men and women.
A Jury of her Peers is slightly more subtle about their attempts to make an obvious jab at the social norms of the time. The women figure out what has happened at the murder seen far before the men do. They know that the woman of the house has murdered the man, but it goes to show that the women are able to figure it out due to the close relation between their life styles.
Both of these stories are obvious jabs at the current establishment of men as the dominate figure in society. One, in my opinion, slightly more obvious than the other.
A Jury of her Peers is slightly more subtle about their attempts to make an obvious jab at the social norms of the time. The women figure out what has happened at the murder seen far before the men do. They know that the woman of the house has murdered the man, but it goes to show that the women are able to figure it out due to the close relation between their life styles.
Both of these stories are obvious jabs at the current establishment of men as the dominate figure in society. One, in my opinion, slightly more obvious than the other.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Desire, A GoodMan is Hard to Find, Where are you going...
These stories are getting into more modern times, and the plots are more predictable to our modern minds, probably due to more of a realistic and natural protrayal of the dark side of human nature.
In the previous novels, all of the actions taken by the characters have some moral purpose in the end. Whether it is to make up for some past deed, or to simply help the character in immediate peril, there was always some obviously un-realistic action taken by the characters. Take for example Romance of the Forest, no one in their right mind would have not charged La Motte with attempted murder of a Marquis even if Adaline was on the table. There is no reason, with this position, that he could not have taken control of the law and manipulated Adaline anyways (because she had no idea who he was). Of course this would have made for a reasonably uninteresting and short story, but the idea is made.
Now we are getting to the point where the actions are more believable. There are many examples of this, lets start with Blanche. She has had a somewhat bad series of events in her life (some caused by herself) and we can see why she takes the manipulative actions that she does. This is also shown in the grandmother... The family is argumentative, and "normal". The elite-st grandmother is argumentative and annoying, and ends up actually getting shot by the muggers... as would happen in this tangible world.
In the previous novels, all of the actions taken by the characters have some moral purpose in the end. Whether it is to make up for some past deed, or to simply help the character in immediate peril, there was always some obviously un-realistic action taken by the characters. Take for example Romance of the Forest, no one in their right mind would have not charged La Motte with attempted murder of a Marquis even if Adaline was on the table. There is no reason, with this position, that he could not have taken control of the law and manipulated Adaline anyways (because she had no idea who he was). Of course this would have made for a reasonably uninteresting and short story, but the idea is made.
Now we are getting to the point where the actions are more believable. There are many examples of this, lets start with Blanche. She has had a somewhat bad series of events in her life (some caused by herself) and we can see why she takes the manipulative actions that she does. This is also shown in the grandmother... The family is argumentative, and "normal". The elite-st grandmother is argumentative and annoying, and ends up actually getting shot by the muggers... as would happen in this tangible world.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Poquelin, A Rose for Emily, Old Gardiston
Jean-ah Poquelin as well as A Rose for Emily, are very dissimilar but at the same time have many common elements.
Poquelin is not really a story of wretched deeds by the main characters as many of these recent novels or short stories have been. When looking back into the recent stories, all of the main characters have something to hide and/or more serious problems do deal with. Poquelin is seen by the town as a crazy old character with an obsession with keeping his privacy in his old home. Many people start to make ridiculous accusations about the old man due to fear and/or suspension. As the story progresses, you realize that it was in fact the people of the town that were the "gothic stereotype". The main character is actually only trying to protect his brother that is now a leper. He knows that the town will ridicule and probably sentence him to death from fear. One could say that the town really does have justification in knowing that something is "off" about the house, but they have the conclusion based on the wrong reason.
One has to wonder if the justification behind all of this is true. Even though the people are terrified of this disease throughout this time, it even shows up in the literature. This disease is currently still around, but humans are immune to this disease, but at the time, myth and fears were so high that people even began to believe that body parts and such would fall of with the disease... this is a myth that still exists today and shows the true petrification of the people at this time.
Poquelin is not really a story of wretched deeds by the main characters as many of these recent novels or short stories have been. When looking back into the recent stories, all of the main characters have something to hide and/or more serious problems do deal with. Poquelin is seen by the town as a crazy old character with an obsession with keeping his privacy in his old home. Many people start to make ridiculous accusations about the old man due to fear and/or suspension. As the story progresses, you realize that it was in fact the people of the town that were the "gothic stereotype". The main character is actually only trying to protect his brother that is now a leper. He knows that the town will ridicule and probably sentence him to death from fear. One could say that the town really does have justification in knowing that something is "off" about the house, but they have the conclusion based on the wrong reason.
One has to wonder if the justification behind all of this is true. Even though the people are terrified of this disease throughout this time, it even shows up in the literature. This disease is currently still around, but humans are immune to this disease, but at the time, myth and fears were so high that people even began to believe that body parts and such would fall of with the disease... this is a myth that still exists today and shows the true petrification of the people at this time.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
George Cable, Charles Chestnutt
Racial issues were prevalent in all of these readings. During this time period that surrounds the civil war, you can see the opinions of the authors regarding emancipation and/or the feeling of blacks and mixed races in society.
In the Goophered Grapevine the old slave that sits and tells the story of the old vineyard is obviously used as a stereotype of black Americans in the south. His dialect is very strong, and his grammar is less then on par to the white characters in the story. His story is of deviant slaves that would eat the crop of the vineyard making it difficult for the slave owner to make a profit. The slaves were then cursed on the command of the vineyard owner, not to be able to eat the grapes. When a new slave does eat one of the grapes, he is then cursed and re-cursed to have to eat the vines in order to stay alive. This slave is then sold and re-sold over and over again as a freak show (not directly stated, but that's what it resembles). The negative connotation of the slave shows the feelings of slaves and the reactions of the movers shows little indifference. This is most likely representative of this time.
In The Sheriff's Children the main twist of the story is a conflict which shows the problems many bastard children of slave owners had during this time. Tom is now in trouble for killing an old Civil war hero that the town adores. While we never know if he actually committed this crime, we know that he is doomed to hang by public opinion. The sheriff knows quickly that the young man is his son and leads him to protect him while he is in jail. The story goes on to show that while he probably was innocent, the fact that he was of black descent, he was doomed to hang. He, eventually, is shot in the arm but survives, then chooses to commit suicide as opposed to death of a slave by a hanging or worse.The reader is meant to feel a subtle pity for Tom and the sheriff to both of their actions. The sheriff made cruel decisions as to his son's fate, but the context of his decisions make sense, and the reader understands although probably disagrees.
We as readers can now see the relations between the these racial connections, but at their time of writing, these relations would probably not have been realized. The white readers of the time would most likely have read the stories at face value. It obviously would have been more obvious if the public knew that he was of mixed race.
In the Goophered Grapevine the old slave that sits and tells the story of the old vineyard is obviously used as a stereotype of black Americans in the south. His dialect is very strong, and his grammar is less then on par to the white characters in the story. His story is of deviant slaves that would eat the crop of the vineyard making it difficult for the slave owner to make a profit. The slaves were then cursed on the command of the vineyard owner, not to be able to eat the grapes. When a new slave does eat one of the grapes, he is then cursed and re-cursed to have to eat the vines in order to stay alive. This slave is then sold and re-sold over and over again as a freak show (not directly stated, but that's what it resembles). The negative connotation of the slave shows the feelings of slaves and the reactions of the movers shows little indifference. This is most likely representative of this time.
In The Sheriff's Children the main twist of the story is a conflict which shows the problems many bastard children of slave owners had during this time. Tom is now in trouble for killing an old Civil war hero that the town adores. While we never know if he actually committed this crime, we know that he is doomed to hang by public opinion. The sheriff knows quickly that the young man is his son and leads him to protect him while he is in jail. The story goes on to show that while he probably was innocent, the fact that he was of black descent, he was doomed to hang. He, eventually, is shot in the arm but survives, then chooses to commit suicide as opposed to death of a slave by a hanging or worse.The reader is meant to feel a subtle pity for Tom and the sheriff to both of their actions. The sheriff made cruel decisions as to his son's fate, but the context of his decisions make sense, and the reader understands although probably disagrees.
We as readers can now see the relations between the these racial connections, but at their time of writing, these relations would probably not have been realized. The white readers of the time would most likely have read the stories at face value. It obviously would have been more obvious if the public knew that he was of mixed race.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
"The Fall of the House of Usher" and "Behind a Mask"
These two stories are very different from one another and for this week will have to be discussed separately.
The Fall of the House of Usher is a more obvious gothic novel. The elements of scenery, death, and cruel intentions of the people are very obvious. The scene is located in a dilapidated house with large cracks and obvious weathering. The house itself is secluded away from the town that is located, but has become related to the inhabitants themselves. This is in fact directly stated in the story, which is somewhat uncommon compared to the other stories we have read. Generally, the gothic novels have no stated direct relationships between characters and setting, but rather leave the reader to distinguish the differences between where the characters live and what interactions they have with the world. Death is also a very obvious characteristic of this novel. The whole story is based around the fact that Roderick is going to bury his sister alive, or knows that she will come back from the dead. This goes right into the subject of the intentions of the characters. In most gothic novels, and this one is no exception, there are always main characters with cruel intentions to be placed on another.
Behind a Mask is somewhat new in its approach to gothic literature. This probably due to the source of the writing being American both in style and origin. The setting is only similar in the fact that it is secluded. It is not in the woods, the darkness, or does it give off an "eerie" feeling. What does hold true is the characterization. Jean Muir is portrayed as someone that has the will to do evil upon this family. We are not completely sure of the cause yet, but we are able to tell that there is something obviously wrong in the relationship between Muir and the primary family.
The Fall of the House of Usher is a more obvious gothic novel. The elements of scenery, death, and cruel intentions of the people are very obvious. The scene is located in a dilapidated house with large cracks and obvious weathering. The house itself is secluded away from the town that is located, but has become related to the inhabitants themselves. This is in fact directly stated in the story, which is somewhat uncommon compared to the other stories we have read. Generally, the gothic novels have no stated direct relationships between characters and setting, but rather leave the reader to distinguish the differences between where the characters live and what interactions they have with the world. Death is also a very obvious characteristic of this novel. The whole story is based around the fact that Roderick is going to bury his sister alive, or knows that she will come back from the dead. This goes right into the subject of the intentions of the characters. In most gothic novels, and this one is no exception, there are always main characters with cruel intentions to be placed on another.
Behind a Mask is somewhat new in its approach to gothic literature. This probably due to the source of the writing being American both in style and origin. The setting is only similar in the fact that it is secluded. It is not in the woods, the darkness, or does it give off an "eerie" feeling. What does hold true is the characterization. Jean Muir is portrayed as someone that has the will to do evil upon this family. We are not completely sure of the cause yet, but we are able to tell that there is something obviously wrong in the relationship between Muir and the primary family.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Sleepy Hollow - Hawthorne
This weeks readings were both stressed the obvious dark sides of gothic literature. The settings are apparently dreary and designed to induce horror in the reader. There are also more morbid designs of the antogonists than in the previous novels or stories.
In sleepy hollow, the setting is a "Dutch-like" community that is isolated by in a peaceful location. This "peaceful" location is portrayed in a sense that the peacefulness is more like isolationism than a place that one would venture on vacation. It states that the isolation prevents these people from living as most people do during this time. This sets the tone for the novel being in a "haunted castle of home" although this is now not a castle, but an entire town that is "haunted". As for morbid designs, the past novels we have read deal more with rape/being caught by some supernatural being. This instead puts a headless horseman as the antagonist that runs around scaring people or killing them. In previous novels, we have not had a character run around and kill people with no apparent motive.
Young Goodman Brown has a similar setting. It is set in the woods along a path that is dark and he constantly fears things being behind and around the trees until he finds the devil. The devil as a morbid character is obvious, but the devil has never been introduced directly as a character before (at least in the novels we have read). This devil tires to steal the soul of the character. In my personal opinion, while rape and imprisonment are bad things, stealing ones soul is far more morbid than previous actions.
Although these books/stories are far different from the previous novels we have encountered, they still fit into the gothic in their own ways, and no one can deny that they fit in this genera.
In sleepy hollow, the setting is a "Dutch-like" community that is isolated by in a peaceful location. This "peaceful" location is portrayed in a sense that the peacefulness is more like isolationism than a place that one would venture on vacation. It states that the isolation prevents these people from living as most people do during this time. This sets the tone for the novel being in a "haunted castle of home" although this is now not a castle, but an entire town that is "haunted". As for morbid designs, the past novels we have read deal more with rape/being caught by some supernatural being. This instead puts a headless horseman as the antagonist that runs around scaring people or killing them. In previous novels, we have not had a character run around and kill people with no apparent motive.
Young Goodman Brown has a similar setting. It is set in the woods along a path that is dark and he constantly fears things being behind and around the trees until he finds the devil. The devil as a morbid character is obvious, but the devil has never been introduced directly as a character before (at least in the novels we have read). This devil tires to steal the soul of the character. In my personal opinion, while rape and imprisonment are bad things, stealing ones soul is far more morbid than previous actions.
Although these books/stories are far different from the previous novels we have encountered, they still fit into the gothic in their own ways, and no one can deny that they fit in this genera.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Ending - Midterm
This week's reading of Jekyll and Hide ended up as I predicted in the previous post. The elements of the enlightenment are prevalent in this novel on multiple levels. When Jekyll claims that every person really has two sides to their being, and that this person develops out of a centered desire to go back to his simple nature. The enlightenment era was an age of science and development and often leading away from the Church. The desire to go back to a primitive nature is meant to support the ideals set fourth by Darwin, that we have a common ancestor with our animal neighbors that share this world. If Hyde were the embodiment of scientific nature, then Jekyll would have to be the representation of the antique view of the world as viewed from the commoner. You see the original obsession of Jekyll to become Hyde, and later when Hyde becomes more prevalent the desire to return to Jekyll. This is parallel to the commoner at this time to represent the Church and Science. People would love to dabble in the sciences but then run back to the church when things could not be immediately explained. When the sciences start to take over, the public as a negative opinion of it until they are given the full account of issues on the subject. When the full truth is given, people come to terms with what they have seen, whether of not they agree with the outcome or actions taken to get to the outcome.
We know that Stevenson is a agnostic in belief. With this knowledge, it is far more apparent the intentions of these actions taken throughout the novel. Darwinism is highly misunderstood by out common society today. This book actually does a good job of showing what evolution actually shows. Evolution in today's society has the common theory that people are the highest point of evolution and that we came from lesser beings. This is far from the truth. In all reality, Evolution is a highly justifiable theory that as defined as "a change of allele frequencies over time". This just means that as a species reproduces, certain traits are selected for under certain conditions. This relates to Jekyll and Hyde. Hyde is the divergent being being of Jekyll and the relationships with the public are in accordance.
We know that Stevenson is a agnostic in belief. With this knowledge, it is far more apparent the intentions of these actions taken throughout the novel. Darwinism is highly misunderstood by out common society today. This book actually does a good job of showing what evolution actually shows. Evolution in today's society has the common theory that people are the highest point of evolution and that we came from lesser beings. This is far from the truth. In all reality, Evolution is a highly justifiable theory that as defined as "a change of allele frequencies over time". This just means that as a species reproduces, certain traits are selected for under certain conditions. This relates to Jekyll and Hyde. Hyde is the divergent being being of Jekyll and the relationships with the public are in accordance.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Jekyll and Hyde, The Mortal Immortal (End of Northanger Abbey - Not included)
The Mortal Immortal as well as Jekyll and Hyde are both moving into what I will call the "realistic mysticism" aspect of Gothic literature. In previous novels we have a general dark setting, but the characters are mostly lively and comparatively "upbeat" in their relative conditions. These short stories / novellas are moving into almost a new sub-genre that still keeps the dark setting of the Gothic novels, but the characters themselves actually seem dark and obviously "evil".
Take for example the Mortal Immortal, There are no more Heroines that take on a journey or a perfect un-fallible male that comes to her rescue. Instead there are extremely stagnant characters. You have a woman who for all purposes, somewhat disgraces Winzy in the fact that he does not have a good income. He goes and gets a job with an Alchemist that he originally does not want to do in order to earn a living, when she ends up leaving him anyways. She is in no way a heroine. She is self centered and arrogant. Winzy is by no means a saint either. He is unable to overcome the obstacles that are placed in front of him, and ends up with "the short stick" in a way that puts him to Immortal torture.
Jekyll and Hyde is a novella that I have not yet finished, yet the characters are obvious. Hyde is the "evil" person that will trample a girl in the street and think nothing of it. Richard is the man who Gossips to his friends and will probably start the whole problem, and Utterson is the "Hero" but he has obvious internal problems that are leading to conflicting actions.As the story progresses, we will see if these assumptions are correct.
On a personal note, I do enjoy reading these novellas more. It has nearly the same length of a story line, but leaves out details and leaves room for imagination on the story.
Take for example the Mortal Immortal, There are no more Heroines that take on a journey or a perfect un-fallible male that comes to her rescue. Instead there are extremely stagnant characters. You have a woman who for all purposes, somewhat disgraces Winzy in the fact that he does not have a good income. He goes and gets a job with an Alchemist that he originally does not want to do in order to earn a living, when she ends up leaving him anyways. She is in no way a heroine. She is self centered and arrogant. Winzy is by no means a saint either. He is unable to overcome the obstacles that are placed in front of him, and ends up with "the short stick" in a way that puts him to Immortal torture.
Jekyll and Hyde is a novella that I have not yet finished, yet the characters are obvious. Hyde is the "evil" person that will trample a girl in the street and think nothing of it. Richard is the man who Gossips to his friends and will probably start the whole problem, and Utterson is the "Hero" but he has obvious internal problems that are leading to conflicting actions.As the story progresses, we will see if these assumptions are correct.
On a personal note, I do enjoy reading these novellas more. It has nearly the same length of a story line, but leaves out details and leaves room for imagination on the story.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Northanger Part 1
This book is very good about being nearly satirical on the elements of gothic literature. There are multiple occasions on which that this is very obvious, and several others that are a little more deeply interlined in the novel.One of the most obvious in the early parts of the novel is that of the heroine.
A few examples of the obvious satire is seen in the first few pages of the novel. The way Catharine is described is bluntly claimed to be nothing of the heroine type. The is described as having a novel family. A father that has a good living, a mother that has lived through the birth of many children, and about 9 siblings that are all healthy and well. Her persona is described as somewhat boy-ish at a young age, until she became a teenager then started to act more feminine. She was described by her mother as being "almost pretty". Catherine's intellect is also brought to the table. In short... she is not dumb, for she can learn things she is interested in as quickly as she likes, but does not take onto things that she does not enjoy (such as certain stories given as an example). Lastly, she does not enjoy playing music, while she does like listening to it. All of this together gives you the picture that is nearly opposite of that of Adeline. She is on almost every aspect normal. She has not one extremely admirable trait, besides the fact that she is reserved and polite (innocent) as Adaline was.
All of these traits are completely deliberate. Catharine is supposed to be the "average reader" putting herself in the place of these mythical heroines. They let their imagination run wild and do not take into consideration the reality of the situation. I am pleased to have read something that makes note of this, and actually acquired great recognition for having done so.
A few examples of the obvious satire is seen in the first few pages of the novel. The way Catharine is described is bluntly claimed to be nothing of the heroine type. The is described as having a novel family. A father that has a good living, a mother that has lived through the birth of many children, and about 9 siblings that are all healthy and well. Her persona is described as somewhat boy-ish at a young age, until she became a teenager then started to act more feminine. She was described by her mother as being "almost pretty". Catherine's intellect is also brought to the table. In short... she is not dumb, for she can learn things she is interested in as quickly as she likes, but does not take onto things that she does not enjoy (such as certain stories given as an example). Lastly, she does not enjoy playing music, while she does like listening to it. All of this together gives you the picture that is nearly opposite of that of Adeline. She is on almost every aspect normal. She has not one extremely admirable trait, besides the fact that she is reserved and polite (innocent) as Adaline was.
All of these traits are completely deliberate. Catharine is supposed to be the "average reader" putting herself in the place of these mythical heroines. They let their imagination run wild and do not take into consideration the reality of the situation. I am pleased to have read something that makes note of this, and actually acquired great recognition for having done so.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Post 4 - Romance of the Forest - Final
After reading The Romance of the Forest, Many of the gothic elements are obvious that were hidden throughout the book. Take for example the three objects I will talk about in this post: Setting, Characterization, and a romantic moral.
As far as setting goes, this is the most obvious. When you look at the opening scene, you see a small caravan of people on the run though a mysterious and eventually dark forest. The people themselves have no idea where they are going (other than the aspect of south and away) and the reader is none the wiser. When they arrive at the Abbey that they insist on staying on, it is not a nice abbey that is maintained like all probability would suggest. This dark setting that later reveals the dead body of Adaline's father as well as the message he left for any passing being to the location. After the escape from the abbey, Adaline is abducted and later escapes again to the small village in Savoy. Here the settings vary from countrysides to prisons off and on till the end of the novel.
Characterization has many polar opposites as well as many defined "gray characters" that never change throughout the novel. Take for example the present Marqius. He from the beginning of the novel has an evil plan, that is not yet later revealed to the reader. Throughout the entire novel, he plans to kill Adaline in order to maintain his estate. He manipulates and deceives even those who he hires to do his dirty work (which later comes and bites him in the butt). Theodore and well as Louis are constantly "virtuous" characters that never sway from their path of righteousness. I would actually argue that Peter is the most virtuous character in the entire novel. He is always loyally at Adaline's side no matter what the situation. La motte is a good example of a gray character. He is manipulated by the marquis on many situations, but his morals allow him to rescue Adaline in various situations although he usually does so at the last minute as if it takes a lot of contemplation of the decision.
The Romantic era and ideas are obviously portrayed in especially the character of M. Verneulli as well as La Luc. They have long conversations of the meaning of life and what it is to be at peace even with sorrow in the heart. These ideals are extremely prevalent when both of them start on what is nearly a monologue along the trails thought the mountains.
As far as setting goes, this is the most obvious. When you look at the opening scene, you see a small caravan of people on the run though a mysterious and eventually dark forest. The people themselves have no idea where they are going (other than the aspect of south and away) and the reader is none the wiser. When they arrive at the Abbey that they insist on staying on, it is not a nice abbey that is maintained like all probability would suggest. This dark setting that later reveals the dead body of Adaline's father as well as the message he left for any passing being to the location. After the escape from the abbey, Adaline is abducted and later escapes again to the small village in Savoy. Here the settings vary from countrysides to prisons off and on till the end of the novel.
Characterization has many polar opposites as well as many defined "gray characters" that never change throughout the novel. Take for example the present Marqius. He from the beginning of the novel has an evil plan, that is not yet later revealed to the reader. Throughout the entire novel, he plans to kill Adaline in order to maintain his estate. He manipulates and deceives even those who he hires to do his dirty work (which later comes and bites him in the butt). Theodore and well as Louis are constantly "virtuous" characters that never sway from their path of righteousness. I would actually argue that Peter is the most virtuous character in the entire novel. He is always loyally at Adaline's side no matter what the situation. La motte is a good example of a gray character. He is manipulated by the marquis on many situations, but his morals allow him to rescue Adaline in various situations although he usually does so at the last minute as if it takes a lot of contemplation of the decision.
The Romantic era and ideas are obviously portrayed in especially the character of M. Verneulli as well as La Luc. They have long conversations of the meaning of life and what it is to be at peace even with sorrow in the heart. These ideals are extremely prevalent when both of them start on what is nearly a monologue along the trails thought the mountains.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Post 3 (Sept 9th) Romance of the Forest
The Romance of the Forest is, in my opinion, far more subtle yet far more realistic than The Castle of Otranto. This fact makes it more believable and makes the reader feel more engrossed in the storyline. The Castle of Otranto and The Romance of the Forest both use the supernatural in various ways in order to create a sense of fear and/or awe at certain times along the plot, but this is achieved in very different ways. In the former, the supernatural is nothing less than ridiculous in nature. Helmets falling out of the air, giant feet in libraries, and stories of random giants will not exactly invoke a sense of awe in most rational thinking people because no one can relate to these appearances. In the later, weird sounds, moving shadows, faded voices, and objects that seem to be constantly misplaced is something that everyone can relate too. This makes the reader actually make connections with the characters and truly empathize with it instead of simply sympathizing with them.
On the other hand, and on a more personal note, The Romance of the Forest has an extremely "round-about" way of getting everything done. Compared to The Castle of Otranto, the dialogue lasts for several paragraphs when the actual conversation might actually be 5 sentences long. They will often interrupt the person talking and give them a lecture about how they are talking to much for a few minutes then let them proceed after which they feel that have to start from the begin again. It gets extremely irritating in most cases, and makes the story progress extremely slow.
Overall I do enjoy reading The Romance of the Forest more than the prior, but it does have its flaws that drive me slightly crazy.
On the other hand, and on a more personal note, The Romance of the Forest has an extremely "round-about" way of getting everything done. Compared to The Castle of Otranto, the dialogue lasts for several paragraphs when the actual conversation might actually be 5 sentences long. They will often interrupt the person talking and give them a lecture about how they are talking to much for a few minutes then let them proceed after which they feel that have to start from the begin again. It gets extremely irritating in most cases, and makes the story progress extremely slow.
Overall I do enjoy reading The Romance of the Forest more than the prior, but it does have its flaws that drive me slightly crazy.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole was, in my opinion, an extremely "slow" and many of the characters personally irritated me with their actions. One might argue that the whole story starts off with an action packed scene that involves chaos and death. I agree that this might be true, but from this point on (with the acception of Manfred's temper tantrums) there are no entertaining scenes until the 5 minute battle between Theodore and Frederic. After this point, the only "Exciting" things that happens is near the end of the last chapter when Manfred ends up accidentally killing his Daughter Matilda.
To accompany the rant that leads this post, I absolutely detest the way people act in this book. The mass population takes everything for granted, and the main characters all seem to have the worldly understanding of a 10 year old.
As for the Romantic aspect of this novel I cannon complain. You can easily see the romantic aspects of the novel. Nearly all of the Charachters including Manfred, Matilda, Isabella, and Theodore all have major fits of passion that leads too them making decisions that any "normal" individual would not if there were in the correct state of mind. And example of this would be when Manfred sentences Theodore to be held captive under a Giant helmet that landed on his son just minutes before.
Other Gothic elements are present thought the entire novel. Take for example the candle blowing out in the caverns below the castle. Another example would be the giants that people keep seeing but really don't seem to have anything to do with the main story line. Another example would be the "Curse" t hat is placed on Otranto at the beginning of the novel.
Overall, I hope I enjoy the next novel more than I enjoyed this one. I also hope that the average IQ of the characters raises to at least room temperature.
To accompany the rant that leads this post, I absolutely detest the way people act in this book. The mass population takes everything for granted, and the main characters all seem to have the worldly understanding of a 10 year old.
As for the Romantic aspect of this novel I cannon complain. You can easily see the romantic aspects of the novel. Nearly all of the Charachters including Manfred, Matilda, Isabella, and Theodore all have major fits of passion that leads too them making decisions that any "normal" individual would not if there were in the correct state of mind. And example of this would be when Manfred sentences Theodore to be held captive under a Giant helmet that landed on his son just minutes before.
Other Gothic elements are present thought the entire novel. Take for example the candle blowing out in the caverns below the castle. Another example would be the giants that people keep seeing but really don't seem to have anything to do with the main story line. Another example would be the "Curse" t hat is placed on Otranto at the beginning of the novel.
Overall, I hope I enjoy the next novel more than I enjoyed this one. I also hope that the average IQ of the characters raises to at least room temperature.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
First of the postings
This is the blog page for Gothic Literature at TCU. My name is Jason, and I am a Senior here majoring in Biology. I recently took my MCAT and will hopefully be going off to medical school next August. This semester I am actually taking 21 hours of class, so I am bust to say the least.
Over this course I hope to find enjoyment in reading these older Gothic novels. I have never really been exposed to this type of writing before, so hopefully it will be a pleasurable experience, and not an experience characterized by agony. While I have claimed that I have not been directly exposed to "Gothic Literature", I have read a lot of novels and poems from the Romantic era that overlaps with some of the major gothic time periods. I do enjoy many of the Romantic poets such as Blake and Keats, but I have never taken a course that focuses on this time period in particular.
I guess we will see how this turns out.
Over this course I hope to find enjoyment in reading these older Gothic novels. I have never really been exposed to this type of writing before, so hopefully it will be a pleasurable experience, and not an experience characterized by agony. While I have claimed that I have not been directly exposed to "Gothic Literature", I have read a lot of novels and poems from the Romantic era that overlaps with some of the major gothic time periods. I do enjoy many of the Romantic poets such as Blake and Keats, but I have never taken a course that focuses on this time period in particular.
I guess we will see how this turns out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)